Tennis Ball Target Device

ABSTRACT

A tennis ball target device is provided that may provide for at least one target element having lettering, a design, or other such visual indicia that may indicate where a user might strike the target with a tennis ball. In some embodiments, the target element may be hingedly connected at its base to a weighted base element, which in some embodiments provides the counter-force to the impact created by the tennis ball. In some embodiments, different weighted bases may be provided or associated with the present invention.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation which claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/589,633 filed May 18, 2017 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/393,316 filed on Sep. 12, 2016, the disclosure of which, including any materials incorporated by reference therein, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the field of tennis and more specifically relates to a tennis ball target device.

BACKGROUND

Tennis is a game that all ages can play, but very few master truly master it. The successful tennis player must not only possess power and dedication, but also the ability to hit shots in a precise manner and to a precise location. Often, only a few well-placed shots make the difference in a competitive tennis match. Therefore, speed, accuracy, and the ability to counter shots must be cultivated in a tennis player, sometimes even from a young age, if the tennis player is to achieve true success in the sport. In turn, these abilities need to be honed over many hours of practice, so that they are available in those vital moments in a tennis match, wherein ball placement, particularly during a serve, makes all the difference. With this in mind, it is clear that a need exists for a device configured to increase ball placement during the serve, make the user's serve faster and more accurate, and increase the user's ability to control her or his opponent's placement.

Various attempts to meet this need have been made. One such attempt can be seen with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,432, incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, which generally discloses a tennis ball target object configured to resemble the look of a tennis court and approximate the location wherein a tennis ball needs to be placed in order to achieve a particular tennis ball placement shot. While this disclosure is indeed visually complete, it lacks the portability of a smaller device, and is not configured to receive tennis balls or otherwise alter their refractory trajectories.

Another attempt can be seen with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,302, incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, which generally discloses a sports target having a screen that simulates a sport environment and areas of the target intended to be struck at velocity by objects such as a tennis ball. While this disclosure does provide for a hook and loop element that retains the ball in place so as to give the user an optimal visual reference concerning the shot's placement, it also suffers from a cumbersome, large design and requires a hook and loop interface to provide its intended benefit, which may not always operate efficiently given the pace at which an effective shot is often struck

Yet another attempt can be seen with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,711, incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, which generally discloses a target having one or more designs coupled to a soft backstop element and a low-discharge receiving element. While this disclosure does provide for a way to return the tennis ball to the user, it still fails to adequately provide for ball placement elements, having only a general target surface.

As can be generally seen, various attempts have been made to solve the problems which may be found in the related art but have thus far been unsuccessful. A need exists for a new tennis ball target device to avoid the above-mentioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is to be understood that in the present disclosure, all embodiments are provided as illustrative and non-limiting representatives of many possible embodiments. In addition, the terms “is,” “can,” “will,” and the like are herein used as synonyms for and interchangeable with terms such as “may,” “may provide for,” and “it is contemplated that the present invention may” and so forth.

The present invention relates to a tennis ball target device that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art. It is contemplated that the present invention may provide a tennis ball target device that improves the speed and accuracy of the serve, top spin, slicing, and backhand of a tennis player.

For purposes of summarizing, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention are provided herein. It is to be understood that not all such aspects, advantages, or novel features may be provided in any one particular embodiment. Thus, the disclosed subject matter may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one aspect, advantage, or novel feature or group of features without achieving all aspects, advantages, or novel features as may be taught or suggested.

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known art, the present invention provides a novel tennis ball target device. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a small tennis ball target device that a user may strike with a tennis ball, preferably using a tennis racquet to hit the ball into the target, and that will absorb the impact from the tennis ball by rotating a contact surface along a hinge, and wherein the device may direct where the tennis ball will go after it strikes the present invention. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.

In one embodiment, the present invention may provide for at least one small, approximately rectangular, or in some embodiments square, target element having lettering, a design, or other such visual indicia inviting a user to strike the target with a tennis ball. In some embodiments, the indicia may read “target,” “tennis,” show an image having concentrically smaller circles, or any other visual indicia capable of indicating that a user is to manually operate a tennis racquet in such a way as to send a tennis ball into the target at the indicated point.

The present invention may provide that the target element may be hingedly connected at its base to a weighted base element, which in some embodiments provides the counter-force to the impact created by the tennis ball. In some embodiments, different weighted bases may be provided or associated with the present invention. In some embodiments, the different weighted bases may be selected for their utility or properties, these utilities or properties corresponding to a user's training needs, such as by way of illustration and not limitation, whether a user desires to train or enhance the user's speed or accuracy of the user's serve, or to train or enhance the user's ability to put top spin or slicing on the user's shots, train the user's backhand abilities, or any other purpose capable of integration within or in conjunction with the present invention. By way of illustration and not limitation, a lighter weight may be appropriate to a more delicate shot, whereas a heavier base may be appropriate to a harder shot.

In some embodiments, the present invention's weighted base element may be configured to rest upon or otherwise be used in conjunction with other tennis ball equipment, such as by way of illustration and not limitation, above a tennis ball collecting element. In such embodiments, the base size or weight, the hinge, the size of the target element, and other such properties of the present invention may be configured to be compatible with such devices, including but not limited to, configured to removably connect with the device or direct the tennis ball into the device.

The unique features of the present invention may provide the following benefits for one or more consumers: it may enable users to improve the speed and accuracy of their serve, top spin, slicing, and backhand tennis skills.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying figures where:

FIG. 1 shows a side-perspective view of a tennis ball target device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side-perspective view of a tennis ball target device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a tennis ball target device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a tennis ball target device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a new and more effective tennis ball target device.

All dimensions specified in this disclosure are by way of example only and are not intended to be limiting. Further, the proportions shown in these Figures are not necessarily to scale. As will be understood by those with skill in the art with reference to this disclosure, the actual dimensions and proportions of any embodiment or element of an embodiment disclosed in this disclosure will be determined by its intended use.

It is to be understood that the drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate potential embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” is intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least an embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment

Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. In addition, the first digit of each reference number indicates the figure where the element first appears.

As used in this disclosure, except where the context requires otherwise, the term “comprise” and variations of the term, such as “comprising”, “comprises” and “comprised” are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

In the following description, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific detail. Well known features, elements or techniques may not be shown in detail in order not to obscure the embodiments.

Turning attention to FIG. 1 , a side-perspective view of a tennis ball target device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is shown. In the embodiment depicted, a viewer may perceive weighted base 101, hinge 102, and target 103. In some embodiments, the shape of target 103 may approximate a triangle, a circle, or any other shape capable of implementation with or by the present invention. Similarly, in some embodiments, the shape of weighted base 101 or hinge 102 may be different than depicted in FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, the shape of weighted base 101 or hinge 102 may match the shape of target 103, whereas in other embodiments the shape of weighted base 101 or hinge 102 may not match the shape of target 103. A viewer may also perceive that the target 103 has a plethora of grooves 119 to absorb the impact of the tennis ball.

Turning attention to FIG. 2 , a side-perspective view of a tennis ball target device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is shown. In illustrative and non-limiting embodiment depicted, a viewer may perceive tennis ball 201, as well as weighted base 101, hinge 102, and target 103. In some embodiments, weighted base 101, hinge 102, and target 103 may be larger or smaller relative to tennis ball 201 than depicted in FIG. 2 . In this illustrative and non-limiting depiction, a viewer may also perceive how the tennis ball impacts the target 103.

Turning attention to FIG. 3 , a perspective view of a tennis ball target device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is shown. In the embodiment depicted, a viewer may perceive tennis ball basket 301, ball hopper and target rack 302, and rack 303, as well as tennis ball 201 and target 103.

Turning attention to FIG. 4 , a perspective view of a tennis ball target device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is shown. In the embodiment depicted, a viewer may perceive tennis ball basket 301, ball hopper and target rack 302, and rack 303, as well as tennis ball 201 and target 103.

Although the present invention has been described with a degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that other versions are possible. As various changes could be made in the above description without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be illustrative and not used in a limiting sense. The spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained in this disclosure.

All features disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstracts, and drawings, and all the steps in any method or process disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A target device, comprising: a vertically positioned center member having a lower portion, side walls, and an outer surface wherein the outer surface includes at least one groove configured to receive an impact of an object; a hinge having a first side and a second side, the first side and the second side rotatably coupled to each other, the first side fixedly attached to the lower portion of the vertically positioned center member; and a base member adapted to rest upon a flat surface and fixedly attached to the second side of the hinge.
 2. The target device of claim 1, wherein the vertically positioned center member is larger than the base member.
 3. The target device of claim 1, wherein the base member is weighted in proportion to an anticipated absorption of a force of an anticipated impact.
 4. The target device of claim 1, wherein the outer surface has at least three grooves configured to receive a force of an impact.
 5. A method for using a tennis ball target device as a target to receive a tennis ball from a tennis swing, comprising: receiving, by the tennis ball target device, the tennis ball from the tennis swing, the tennis ball target device having a first member including a surface with a depicted target, the surface indicating accuracy of a human propelled tennis ball's impact with the first member based on a tennis ball's impact location within the target and directing where the tennis ball goes subsequent to impact with the member, a hinge having a first side and a second side, the first side and the second side rotatably coupled to each other, the first side fixedly attached to the first member, and a base member fixedly attached to the second side, wherein a weight of the base member is tailored to how the human is propelling the tennis ball and in proportion to an anticipated force associated with the tennis ball's impact; and rotating, by the first member, when the tennis ball comes into contact with the surface.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the surface includes one or more grooves.
 7. A target device, comprising: a first member having an outer surface wherein the outer surface includes at least one groove configured to receive an object's impact; a hinge having a first side and a second side, the first side and the second side rotatably coupled to each other, the first side fixedly attached to the first member; and a base member adapted to rest upon a flat surface and fixedly attached to the second side of the hinge. 